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AUDIENCE SCORE

We Have a Pope Photos

Movie Info

Nanni Moretti joins forces with the great French actor Michel Piccoli to tell the story of Melville, a cardinal who suddenly finds himself elected as the next Pope. Never the front runner and completely caught off guard, he panics as he's presented to the faithful in St. Peter's Square. To prevent a world wide crisis, the Vatican's spokesman calls in an unlikely psychiatrist who is neither religious or all that committed, played by Moretti, to find out what is wrong with the new Pope. As the world nervously waits outside, inside the therapist tries to find a solution. But Cardinal Melville is adamant: he does not want the job, or at least needs time to think it over. What follows is a marvelous insight into the concept of a human being existing behind the title of God's representative on Earth. -- (C) IFC

We Have a Pope takes its shots at the institution of the Catholic Church, but this is by no means a scathing satire. It's more of a character study, insightful and nuanced, about a man grappling with a profound sense of inadequacy, questioning himself.

Cocooned in humor, lampooning the processes and players of religious politics, [Nanni] Moretti manages to raise serious questions that land with more impact than if they had been treated in a deadly serious manner.

Director and star Moretti is improbably likable as a sometimes smug psychiatrist. The entire supporting cast is composed of character actors with extraordinarily expressive faces. But the standout is Michel Piccoli in the lead.

This is certainly a great idea for a film, it just needs better execution, less stalling for and wasting of time, and a better means of showing the difficult period that Cardinal Melville is going through.

To its great credit, just before the credits, We Have A Pope slips away from its droll dramedy and offers a sharp anticlimax--a pointed stab at Catholicism now. The declaration of its title turns out to be the emptiest statement of all.

Audience Reviews for We Have a Pope

½

Even with Piccoli in a strong performance, it doesn't live up to the promise of its premise, offering us an efficient first half with a good pacing but then becoming disjointed and dragging with no direction towards nowhere. Besides, Moretti's character seems completely useless.

Carlos Magalhães

Super Reviewer

A promising beginning turns into a bit of a mess. This is a film that does not know whether to take itself seriously or as a pure comedy and leads to a very very empty ending. Sound and Fury signifying nothing.

John Ballantine

Super Reviewer

½

As the Papal Conclave wears on, it appears that there is no clear frontrunner which might have something to do with nobody really wanting the promotion. Eventually, the name of Cardinal Melville(Michel Piccoli) takes precedence and wins out. At the worst possible moment right before being introduced to the faithful, he has an anxiety attack. After a time of waiting for him to recover his senses, the cardinals get restless, with the Austrlian contingent wanting to go over the wall to do a little sightseeing. So, while the powers that be read them the rule book, they also bend them a little to bring in a famed psychologist(Nanni Moretti, who also directed and co-wrote).
First off, a disclaimer. "We Have a Pope" really has no problems with the Catholic Church or anybody associated with it. Yes, there is a little white lying and conniving but absolutely no global conspiracies, so hopefully nobody's going to hell.(Still, what the Church would do with the ending and the volleyball tournament is beyond me.) Rather, with amiable good humor, Nanni Moretti shrugs as he wonders what all the fuss is about.(To quote him, he is always harder on himself in his films than others.) More is the shame considering the awful pressure the cardinals are under with such lofty expectations. And don't forget; one should always be vigilant towards those seeking power.

Walter M.

Super Reviewer

½

What a wonderful film. Shame that it didn't get more recognition in Cannes. Cloaked in humor, this is nonetheless a serious look at a religious leader's internal quest for personal truth. The humility shown is precisely what the Church needs, but... it's merely a film... Michel Piccolli at his very best!